Everything I Hate About You
by Goldie Gamgee
Summary: As Nudge grows up, she finds herself falling in love with—and dating—more and more guys. But no matter how hard she tries, she just can't seem to find 'the one'… and the only person she seems to have overlooked is the person picking her up each time she falls down… Nudge/Gazzy. My first fanfiction that isn't Lord of the Rings. *ON HIATUS UNTIL MY EXAMS ARE OVER- Nov. 12th.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: To be honest, I didn't like Maximum Ride too much. I mean, I didn't like the storyline. Well, to be honest, I was okay with the storyline until book 4. It should have ended there, somehow, because for the next four books it just got dragged out with Max's pathetic love triangle. **

**But I love the characters. Particularly Iggy and Gazzy. And I love Nudge/Gazzy. **

**So hence this fanfic. It's actually fic number 13 that I've written, and not that I'm superstitious or anything, but… it's also the first fic I have written that isn't found on the Lord of the Rings archive. So I'm not certain how well this is gonna go. It will possibly be taken down, unless people actually like it. So, without further ado…**

…..

Nudge blocked out the world with her pillow, squishing her face into it, wishing to disappear into the soft depths of this black cocoon.

But her tears were making it damp—they meant she couldn't possibly forget why she needed this safe haven that was the pillow.

She looked up. Her face was probably a mess—tear streaked, make-up running; she probably looked a wreck.

Like it mattered anymore.

She fell back into the pillow and sobbed. She was down there so long she was practically suffocating.

Like it mattered anymore.

Because _nothing_ mattered anymore. Not after Sloan.

She went up for air briefly before burying her face in again, burrowing down deep, as if she could hide from everything. She had managed to remove any external force, which just left the events of the day flittering around her head like spooked hummingbirds.

It had been all over social media within the hour it happened. She was a freak. She had wings and wolf-human hybrids as stalkers. Her entire social life went up in flames as soon as the word was out. Nudge was a bird-kid.

_'__WTF?!'_ was the main reaction of most people viewing the post. And soon it turned to nasty comments. Words like 'Freak' 'Mutant' 'Weirdo' were thrown around freely.

And today she had come to school to be shunned all day by her so-called friends.

She blinked tears out of her eyes. Her first date had led to throbbing heartbreak. She couldn't believe it. It was meant to be so special, her first date… her first boyfriend.

Nudge had really loved Sloan. Honestly. Well, she was pretty sure that was what love felt like. He was truly gorgeous, and seemed to really like her.

_Until he learnt about the wings_, Nudge thought bitterly.

They were the problem, those wings, protruding from her shoulder blades… ugly. They were ugly, horrible things, Nudge concluded, her own anger fighting the tears building in her eyes.

"Ugly!" Nudge said aloud with a sob, extending one of them and examining it's… abnormal-ness. Why couldn't she be just like an ordinary kid?

"I hate them!" She cried, tears streaking down her face, pounding her pillow, "I hate them! I want them gone! _Gone_!"

Her anger was interrupted by a knock at the door. She abruptly stopped yelling and turned towards it.

"Nudge?" A muffled voice asked.

"Go away, Gazzy!" Nudge said forcefully, her voice cracking as more tears threatened to spill. She didn't want anyone, not right now. Wait—that was a lie. Nudge wanted _Sloan_. But Sloan… but Sloan…

The door opened a crack anyway. Two round blue eyes peered through. "Nudge?"

"I said, go—" But instead of the word 'away', a sob came out, sounding like a heavy table being dragged across the floor.

"You okay, Nudge?" Gazzy stepped inside the room tentatively. When he received no reply, he added, "What do you hate?"

Nudge stood up and furiously unravelled her wings, knocking some cosmetics off a shelf. She didn't care. "These ugly things!" She cried shrilly, scowling at Gazzy.

Gazzy's eyes grew wide. "They're not ugly, Nudge!" He exclaimed, "Your wings are way cooler than mine,"

He slowly extended his own wings. They were a light tan shade of brown. "See?"

Nudge looked at her wings. They were brown too, but tawny—and speckled with dark spots. She frowned. "It doesn't matter. I don't care what they look like. I don't like them. I wish I didn't have them. I wish I could just… take them off! Have them removed!"

Gazzy gaped. "But Nudge… then you wouldn't be able to fly!"

Nudge stormed over, swung the door wide open and unceremoniously shoved Gazzy out, wiping her eyes furiously. "I don't want to fly. I just want to be normal. Now go away!"

With that, she slammed the door in his face. She knew she would probably regret it later and feel bad, but it didn't matter right now. Silently, she slid down the door until she was sitting and hugged her legs, pressing her face into her knees.

"Why do you need Sloan, anyway? He doesn't seem very nice," Obviously, Gazzy hadn't left yet, because it was his voice that came floating through the door.

Nudge felt her breath catch in her throat. Of course she needed Sloan: it wasn't his fault… it was _her_ fault, for having wings… she still believed he was the only place where she could be happy.

Gazzy wasn't finished. His voice grew softer now.

"You're like my sister, Nudge. I love you."

…..

**A/N: At this point it is kind of non-romantic love, because Gazzy's only like, nine. And nine is a ****_little_**** young…**

**Set during the scene in Nevermore when Nudge was dumped by Sloan and ridiculed by her 'friends'. A little bit before Max came in. **

**So… was it okay? Was it crap? If nobody likes it I'll take it down, because I'm also kind of nervous of the fact I'm dumping a random fic in the middle of my LOTR ones… I thought it might be nice to keep a pure Lord of the Rings account.**

**Anyway, have a beautiful day and I hope you take some time out of it to review my little story. :) If all goes well the next chapter should be up soon!**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Yay, chapter two! I've had this idea in my head for a while now, and so now I finally have it down! Yay… this is kind of set in an AU post-Nevermore where Max actually does save the world somehow like we waited eight books for her to do, and everyone is living happily and peacefully. :D**

**Thank you to everyone who reviewed, I really, really appreciate it. :) I hope you enjoy this next chapter!**

…..

Angel had a sleepover birthday party. Max and Fang were going, for the first time in forever, on a date. Ella had dragged Iggy off to join she and her friends in the joys of bowling. Nudge was off to the movies with some idiot who was probably three years older than her.

It was official. Thirteen-year-old Gazzy had the house to himself tonight.

He had no idea what he was going to do, but he was going to enjoy himself. A video game marathon? It wouldn't be as fun without Iggy, but maybe he could work on his skills.

_Maybe_, he could raid Iggy's store of R-18 games!

Satisfied with this plan, Gazzy made his way downstairs, where Max was standing, waiting for Fang. She shot him a scowl, as if she knew what he was thinking of doing once everyone left.

"What?" Gazzy asked defensively, wandering into the kitchen and rummaging about in the fridge.

"Be _sensible_ while we're gone," Max said simply, "And _responsible_. That means—"

"Yeah, yeah: no alcohol, no drugs, no fun," Gazzy sighed, downing a couple of gulps of milk straight from the bottle.

"And _no_ raiding Iggy's R-18 games," Max frowned, "And don't do that, it's disgusting."

"Sorry," Gazzy said lamely, putting the now empty bottle down on the bench. "What about the R-16 ones?"

"Don't even—" Max began, but was cut off by Fang seemingly materializing at the bottom of the stairs.

"Are we going?" Fang flicked his dark bangs out of his eyes and fixated his eyes on Max. Gazzy watched the 19-year-old melt under Fang's gaze.

_Pathetic,_ he thought with a snort of amusement.

"Yeah." Max said, her eyes lighting up and her mouth stretching into a goofy smile as Fang took her hand. "What took you so long?"

"Ooh, Fang, you're soooo drea-my!" Gazzy said in Max's voice, before cracking up laughing. Max gave him a hard look.

"Be _sensible_," She reminded him, tossing him the house keys.

And then they were gone, out of the door and into the night.

Gazzy flopped down onto the couch. Angel was gone, Iggy was gone, Fang and Max were gone…

Which just left Nudge.

Gazzy waited. He waited and waited, fidgeting as he wished for his independence. He glanced at the clock. Wasn't Nudge meant to have left twenty minutes ago?

He stood up to go and check. As he neared her bedroom door, he could hear snuffling noises, and soft plaintive cries that sounded like a kitten mewing… or a Nudge sobbing.

Gazzy knocked softly. Once. Twice. On the third knock the crying stopped and a voice croaked, "Yes?"

Gazzy opened the door. "Are you okay?" He asked, looking at her crumpled frame.

Nudge was curled up on her bed, sobbing into the sheets, wearing her new dress, her mascara running down her cheeks. "Gazzy, I—" She took a deep breath, "No-o…"

Then the tears were spilling again over her dark lashes. Gazzy felt suddenly angry. Who had done this, made her cry? Whoever it was, had no right. Because nobody had the right to make Nudge cry. Nudge crying was just… it was just…

"What happened?" Gazzy asked, but Nudge couldn't answer through her sobs.

Gazzy took a tissue from the box on the bedside table. Gently, he sat beside her and put a hand on her arm. Slowly, he managed to get her sitting upright. Handing her the tissue, he asked again: "What happened?"

"Nate," Nudge said bitterly, the tears beginning to gather again, "Nate is what happened."

"Who's Nate?" Gazzy frowned.

"He is—was—my date for tonight…" Nudge sniffed. "He… he cancelled the date…ten minutes before he was meant to pick me up. He didn't just cancel, he… he… he dumped me—"

Nudge was sobbing again, her whole body shaking. "Ten minutes!" She shrieked, "Ten… ten minu—" She hiccoughed and buried her face in her hands.

Gazzy didn't understand the anger he felt, but he knew he felt it. Nate seemed like a right prick, and he said so. Nudge only cried harder.

What to do?

Gazzy wanted to stop Nudge's tears but he didn't know how… so he did the only thing he could think. He wrapped his arms around her and held her till they came to a standstill. It was a slow process, and was coaxed along by Gazzy murmuring words of comfort into Nudge's ear.

"It's gonna be okay. It doesn't feel okay right now, but it's gonna be okay."

The stream of tears became slower and slower, until they stopped entirely and Nudge breathed a heavy sigh. She blew her nose and dabbed her running mascara with the tissue.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Gazzy asked nervously, as if afraid of setting off more tears. Nudge shook her head.

"No," She sniffed, crumpling and un-crumpling the tissue in her hand.

Nudge didn't want to talk? This was serious, and Gazzy knew it. He tried to think of what he would want were he in Nudge's position.

He thought and thought as Nudge sat there in silence. What to do… what to do…

Aha! Gazzy knew exactly what she needed—to have fun. To forget about Nate for a while. To take her mind off things.

"Hey, well, how about we do something," Gazzy suggested, "Something fun, to take your mind off you-know-who."

"He who must not be named," Nudge added, a tiny flash of a smile briefly appearing on her face.

"Yeah," Gazzy laughed, "You know, we could watch a movie."

No response.

"And order pizza."

No response.

"It would be fun."

Nudge smiled a little. "Um… okay, I guess."

Gazzy gave her a grin. "Cool. You can go order pizza, I'll get some popcorn or something."

"Okay," Nudge grinned back—a little shakily, but it was still a grin. She stood up.

Gazzy stood up too, patting her on the back, and darting round the door and down the stairs to the kitchen, to see what they had in the pantry.

No popcorn, the kitchen was entirely popcorn free. Gazzy frowned. They really needed to get some. He searched around for a substitute. He grinned as he spotted one—corn chips. Maybe they could have some dip, too.

Gazzy ripped open the corn chips and dumped them into a bowl. He could hear Nudge on the phone from in the other room. He smiled—her voice seemed almost normal, not overly bubbly, but it was progress.

The fridge revealed an unopened container of shop-bought guacamole. Win. Gazzy put it on the kitchen bench and turned back to survey the fridge. One dip would probably be enough—

Aha, bonus—salsa. Gazzy grinned; it was Nudge's favourite.

As he worked getting everything set up on a tray, he thought about Nate. Gazzy bet Nate didn't care about Nudge. Gazzy bet Nate didn't care about her feelings. Gazzy bet Nate didn't know that Nudge couldn't eat corn chips and salsa without sour cream to balance out the spice.

Gazzy knew. He put some sour cream on the tray, too.

When he came out into the living room, Nudge was wearing jeggings and a hoodie, which was probably the most casual outfit she owned. DVD's surrounded her.

"Can we watch this?" Nudge held up a DVD, "Stephanie and Cassie have both seen it, so I got it out the other day. It's meant to be really cool."

Nudge started talking about the actress that starred in the film, while Gazzy looked at it in dismay. It didn't look like the sort of movie he would usually get within ten metres of… but then again, it wasn't for him, it was for Nudge.

"Okay, yeah, we can watch it," Gazzy said weakly, "We didn't have any popcorn, but we did have corn chips."

"Oh, yum," Nudge took one as Gazzy sat the tray down on the coffee table. The doorbell rang.

"That'll be the pizza," Nudge said through a mouthful of double-cheese corn chips and salsa, "I'll get it."

Soon they were both settled down on the couch, and Nudge was starting the movie. A one and a half hour chick flick, with a plot with about as much substance as air. Gazzy sighed.

Only an hour and a half… just to make Nudge happy.

…..

When the credits were rolling Gazzy glanced at Nudge. Her eyes were shining and there was no trace of sadness left on her face.

"That was such a good film!" She babbled, "Dave and Lindsey were such a cute couple! Oh my gawd, when he held her hand for the first time I just died! So adorable. Screw Hamish: Team Dave!"

"Aha, yeah," Gazzy smiled at her. He hadn't really engaged in the plot at all, and had been boarding unconsciousness by the end. Still, he was glad Nudge was happy. Even if he had wasted one and a half hours of his life, and sacrificed his gaming night.

They both stood up. Nudge turned the TV off and spontaneously threw her arms around Gazzy.

"Thanks," Nudge told him, "For cheering me up."

But Gazzy barely registered her words. All he could feel was her body against his and her warm breath in his ear, her soft mocha skin and her hair that smelt like strawberries, and then how much he liked strawberries.

And Gazzy thought some very un-Gazzy like thoughts, thoughts he quickly shoved out of his mind because they frightened and confused him. But they kept creeping back in like the spider that just refuses to die no matter how much insect spray one shoots at it.

By the time Nudge pulled away Gazzy was out of insect spray, out of might, out of breath, perplexed and slightly dazed. Nudge smiled at him.

"It was really nice." She said.

What was nice? Gazzy blinked once, twice, three times. Oh yes—the whole cheering Nudge up thing. "Uh… no problem."

Nudge grinned, yawned, and bent down to pick up an empty pizza box, but Gazzy came back to his senses, "Ah, it's okay, I can do that."

"Are you sure?" Nudge rubbed her eyes.

"Yeah. You go get some sleep," Gazzy said, feeling slightly proud at how gentlemanly he sounded. But he was also still confused about what had happened earlier, and his brain became so full with thoughts it hurt. "You look tired."

"Okay," Nudge yawned again, turning around and starting up the stairs. "Night."

"Night," Gazzy said, beginning to pick up the mess they had made. He had got the two pizza boxes and the empty tray into the kitchen when he heard the door open.

He poked his head around the door as Max and Fang walked in. Iggy was with them. "Hey."

"Hey Gazzy," Max rubbed her eyes. "Were you _sensible_?"

"Nudge's date cancelled ten minutes before she was due to leave, so I took her mind off it and cheered her up by watching a movie with her," Gazzy said simply, "No R-18 games, no drugs, no alcohol, just me and Nudge and some pizza."

"Oh, that was nice of you," Max smiled at the thirteen-year-old, "Is she okay now?"

"Yep," Gazzy said, "Well, I think so."

"Great. Well, I'm tired. Goodnight," Max yawned, making her way towards the stairs. Fang followed.

Iggy came up behind Gazzy, who was shoving the empty chip bowl in the dishwasher. "So…"

Gazzy turned to the nineteen-year-old.

"…just you and Nudge then?" Iggy raised his eyebrows one at a time, grinning as if he knew something he shouldn't.

Gazzy scowled, and then, for Iggy's benefit, said, "I'm scowling, Iggy."

Iggy touched Gazzy's face. "You're red," His grin grew broader.

"Oh… shut up."

…..

**A/N: Damn Iggy's ability to feel colours! And also his weird ability to know what Gazzy is thinking… maybe he could tell from Gazzy's voice. I don't know, you decide. :)**

**Like it? Hate it? Review! I appreciate your opinion and wish to know what you think. :)**


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Sorry it's a bit late guys! Thanks for all the lovely reviews, they mean so much to me!

**As a side note, the outfit Nudge wears in this chapter is inspired by the outfit my friend wore to my prom night. She looked amazing in it and I thought Nudge might too. :)**

…..

Gazzy didn't attack dinner with the same hunger he usually did that night.

Nobody seemed to really notice at first. The conversation bounced around Gazzy while he sat, poised, waiting for an opening in which to ask a question. The question had been rolling around in his head all day and he wanted to get rid of it as quickly as possible, but no gap seemed to appear in the conversation.

Finally, Max looked at him and frowned. "Gazzy, are you okay?"

He wondered whether he looked sick. Maybe Max just thought it was unusual how slowly he was eating. If there's anybody who eats more than a bird-kid, it's a growing adolescent bird-kid. At fourteen years old, Gazzy usually ate more than Max and Angel combined.

Usually.

Gazzy sighed and put down his fork. "I just… have a question."

"Oh?" Max said, looking confused, "Um, what is it?"

Shifting uncomfortably, Gazzy blurted out, "Can I go out tomorrow night?"

There was a pause. "What, out flying?" Max asked.

"No…" Gazzy said carefully, "Walking. To… town."

There was a longer pause. "Are you going alone, or with someone?"

"With someone."

"Who?"

Gazzy squirmed, and hesitated, before finally saying, "A girl."

Silence descended the table.

Gazzy winced. The entire flock was staring at him as if he had grown an extra head. The quiet seemed to stretch on for all eternity.

"Gazzy has a girlfriend?!" Iggy finally cried, breaking the silence.

"Of course not," Angel scoffed, "Gazzy doesn't even have underarm hair."

"I do so!" Gazzy said defensively. "And she's not my girlfriend. She's just a girl from school."

"So, your girlfriend." Iggy concluded.

"No!" Gazzy sighed exasperatedly.

"But all the signs point to the fact she is your girlfriend!" Iggy protested, "She's a girl from school. You're taking her into town. She is _definitely_ your girlfriend."

"What's her name?" Nudge asked excitedly, "Is she pretty? Is she nice? Does she paint her nails? What's her favourite band? You guys must be cute together!"

Gazzy rubbed his eyes. "Her name is Hayley," He said flatly, "And I guess, yes, don't know, don't know, and she is _not_ my girlfriend!"

"She and Gazzy sit next to each other in science," Angel suddenly said, and all eyes were on her. She smiled sweetly as she looked at Gazzy, who scowled as she read his mind.

"And she has a crush on him. She wants to be his girlfriend, but Gazzy doesn't like her. He's taking her out on a date to make her happy even though he doesn't like her."

Silence, before Max spoke. "Oh, that's pretty nice of you, Gazzy. Anything else, Angel?"

Angel grinned demonically, "No, but I can tell you who he _does_ like…"

"Don't you _dare_!" Gazzy cried, clamping his hand over his little sister's mouth. "And don't try telling anyone with your mind either! It's not even true, anyway, I don't like—that person. I don't, not really, I…" Gazzy trailed off. His cheeks were flushed red. "I… I just don't know anymore."

He stood up and pushed his chair in violently. "I'm not hungry."

And he was gone, thundering out the door and up the stairs.

Fang, who hadn't spoken until now, sighed and flicked his hair out of his eyes. "I knew that would end badly."

…..

Later that night, Gazzy ran himself a shower. He blasted it boiling hot, then switched it suddenly freezing cold. He alternated, grimacing, as it matched his mood. The Gasman was seething, red hot and ice cold all at once. Angry with everyone, but also himself.

Because when Fang got angry, he would fume silently and lock himself in his room. And when Iggy got angry, he usually threw out some witty sarcastic comments…

…but when Gazzy got angry, which he found himself doing more and more these days, he would kick and scream and become absolutely furious. Once, only a couple of months ago, he had kicked a hole in his door. Max had nearly killed him.

He was a stick of TNT lit from both ends, filled with hormones that acted as gunpowder. Gazzy stepped out of the shower, his skin blotchy and alternating from very pale to lobster pink. He stood naked in front of the mirror until the skin turned its normal shade again.

And then he stood there a bit longer.

Observing his body, Gazzy bit his lip.

He wasn't meant to be picky about his looks—that was what _girls _did—but he just wished that he didn't look so… out of proportion.

Gazzy had had the beginnings of abs when he was only eleven, but even though they were developed now, they looked out of place—the rest of his body had not caught up. His arms were lanky. His legs a little too long.

He felt awkward. He wore baggy clothes—hoodies and sweatpants. Puberty still held him in its clammy hands, and it was yet still moulding, fiddling, tweaking. Centuries of practice and Puberty _still_ couldn't get it right the first time.

As Gazzy pulled on his pyjamas he scrutinized himself closely. His face was still round as the full moon, the largest trace of the childhood he was leaving behind.

He bit the inside of his cheek to keep himself from screaming. Even _Angel_, two years younger than he, had lost her baby roundness, slipping out of it seamlessly and emerging silky and new, ready-made for her teenage years. She was sliding like a dream down the river of puberty, and upon exit was bound to find something glorious in her place.

Gazzy seemed to hit every rock in the river.

He was sliding out of control down this watercourse of nightmares, and the likelihood of finding something glorious at the end did not seem promising.

"Gazzy? Gazzy, can I come in? I need to brush my teeth."

Nudge. Gazzy's stomach did a flip.

No. He did not feel that way; he did not feel that way. Maybe if he told himself enough, it would get across. If he repeated it, the feelings might go away—

"Gazzy?"

"Oh, yeah, coming," Gazzy did the last button up on his pyjamas and opened the door. Nudge stood there, wearing her shortie pyjama pants and a red tank top.

Oh man, oh man, oh man, oh man…

Gazzy knew there was something _seriously_ wrong if Nudge could get his heart racing like that by wearing only her pyjamas.

"It was really sweet of you to date Hayley even though you don't like her, ya know?" Nudge began, walking into the bathroom, "I mean, sweet, but like, what are you gonna do when she wants to be your girlfriend and you don't actually like her? That's gonna get really _really_ awkward, and then you'll have to turn her down and then you'll break her heart and then she'll turn all her friends against you! But hey, maybe—"

Nudge had stuffed her toothbrush in her mouth and could no longer speak for a few seconds.

"… you'll get to like her anyway on your date and then you guys can be a couple! I bet you'd be cute! But hey, I was wondering…"

Nudge put her toothbrush in her mouth again. Gazzy was trying to process everything she had just said in his head. "Um, what?"

"Well," Nudge said after she had spat out the toothpaste, "If you need like, support on you and Hayley's date so it doesn't get super awkward, we could make it a double date and me and Sean could come! Wouldn't it be fun? What would Hayley think?"

Gazzy's heart sank. Yeah, let Nudge and her latest boyfriend come. Just what he needed.

Then he remembered that Nudge had a lot more experience on dates than he… and realized having she and Sean there would make it a lot easier.

No, no, don't agree, don't agree…

"Ah, yeah, I guess that could be cool," Gazzy stumbled over the words. His subconscious sighed exasperatedly.

"Great!" Nudge squealed, throwing her arms around him in a brief hug that smelt like bubblegum and powdery makeup, "It'll be so much fun!"

Gazzy's head was reeling from Nudge's touch and it was all he could do to keep himself upright. "Uhm, yeah."

Once he got to his room he flopped onto his bed and sent a quick text to Hayley, who had given him her number that day. Then he stretched his wings, turned off the light and clambered under the sheets.

Tomorrow night was going to be a spectacular train wreck. Gazzy just knew it.

…..

At seven o'clock Gazzy was lying on the couch in a hoodie and sweatpants, when Max came over and whacked him over the head with a rolled-up fashion magazine (which must've been Nudge's).

"Ow! What was that for?" Gazzy whined, holding up a cushion as an attempt to protect himself from any more incoming attacks.

"I know you don't actually like this girl, but at least make an effort to dress in something decent." Max scowled down at the Gasman.

Gazzy rolled his eyes and slowly got up. He really wasn't in the mood for what he was sure was going to be the worst night of his teenage life. Okay, so maybe he had had a few worse nights involving desert rat or dog crates, but he had said his _teenage_ life…

"I hate you," He grumbled—but he was already making his way up the stairs.

"Bite me."

Gazzy dressed in a simple—but unsoiled—button down shirt and the cleanest jeans he could find. He was just running a comb through his hair when Nudge appeared at the door.

"How do I look?" She asked.

"Uhh…" Gazzy seemed to have lost the ability to formulate coherent sentences. Perhaps it had something to do with the fact Nudge looked stunning—she wore a very chic flower patterned dress with leather cowboy boots, and shimmery black eyeliner which showed off her long lashes. Her hair was in curls and piled up in a messy bun. Silken strands that had come loose wafted about her face.

Nudge waited patiently for Gazzy's response as he stared.

Oh, for god's sake, say something, anything, you've been staring for long enough!

"Nice." _Dimwit_. "You look… nice."

Nudge grinned. "You don't look too bad yourself. I wasn't sure about this outfit, you know, only certain girls can pull off this look, and I'm not sure if I can, but I was like; 'You know what? YOLO.' Do you think Sean will like it? It's kind of different from what I normally wear."

"Yeah," Gazzy said, not entirely sure what he was answering to—he was still staring at Nudge.

"You better hurry up—Sean will be here soon," Nudge grinned, turning on her heel, leaving behind her the—Gazzy decided—rather delightful smell of rose perfume.

Oh god. 'The delightful smell'?

Gazzy was almost certain he was going to go insane.

…

Sean's car smelt clean, but not in a delightful way. The kind of smell of someone applying deodorant after already having sweated.

Still, Gazzy was glad Sean's banged-up mini _was_ (or tried to be) clean—a few of Nudge's previous boyfriend's cars had smelt so bad even _Gazzy _would be suppressing a gag.

Gazzy felt like the third wheel sitting in the back seat while Nudge and Sean commandeered the front. Sean seemed a little uptight for some reason—a few of Nudge's previous boyfriends would've slung their arms about her shoulders (keeping one hand still on the steering wheel, luckily) or be chattering away to her.

Sean kept both hands on the steering wheel, while his only contribution to the 'conversation' he and Nudge were having was nodding and the occasional smile. There was something up, but Gazzy supposed it wasn't his business.

Finally they pulled outside Hayley's driveway and Gazzy got out reluctantly.

Hayley was waiting at the door when he knocked, and when he opened it she grinned.

"I was so nervous," She laughed weakly, "I thought you were going to stand me up…"

"Why would I do that?" Gazzy smiled. Hayley wore a floaty black dress that came to her knees and ballet flats. Her dark blonde hair was let loose on her shoulders, and she was wearing a funny star shaped necklace that shimmered silver in the moonlight when she moved.

"For luck," She touched the necklace. Gazzy nodded as if he understood. He was sure it was a reference, but he did not have a clue what it was.

They walked back to the car slightly awkwardly. Gazzy wondered if he should hold her hand, then waved away the thought. As they slid into the back seat Nudge squealed. "Hi Hayley!"

"Hayley," Gazzy smiled feebly, "This is my sister, Monique."

"Hi," Hayley said shyly.

"OMG you're dress is so pretty! And I love your necklace, where did you get it?" Nudge asked excitedly.

"I had to order it online," Hayley said, absentmindedly twisting the chain between her fingers.

"That's probably why I've never seen it before." Nudge clapped her hands together, "Zephyr's told me so much about you!"

Gazzy bit his tongue to stop himself saying 'I have?'.

"So tonight we're going to The Rendezvous," Sean said suddenly, the most complete sentence Gazzy had heard him speak all night. The Rendezvous was an interesting restaurant—family friendly by day and a romantic hotspot by night.

"Ooh, nice," Hayley said politely, grinning at Gazzy. Gazzy smiled back half-heartedly and looked away.

…..

Inside The Rendezvous was packed. As soon as they stepped into the building Gazzy wanted to go home, and he hated Nudge sliding her arm around Sean's waist.

Should he take Hayley's hand to make Nudge jealous? No, why would she be jealous anyway? She would never like Gazzy—she still saw him as a child. Gazzy felt trapped and frustrated and tired and like he wanted to punch something.

Their table was close to the fire and the seats were uncomfortably warm. When the waiter gave Gazzy both the ordinary menu _and_ the kid's menu he almost broke down and cried. For god's sake, was _everybody_ working to try and make this the most embarrassing night of his life?

Hayley was staring at him, smiling in this adoring way that made him feel awkward. This was Hayley's first date too, and she wanted more from it than Gazzy was willing to give.

The conversation was pretty tame to say the least as Gazzy sipped his water, his teeth clinking against the glass. Trivial matters and mundane happenings bounced across the table like shuttlecocks. For goodness sake, couldn't they all just go home?

But then the food arrived.

Nudge usually ate before she went out on dates so she only needed a single meal and didn't look odd when she ordered double or triple her partner. But Gazzy hadn't thought about this, and he could feel uncertain eyes on him as he made his way through two bowls of creamy fettuccine.

"So, have you been here before? I like this place, great service." Nudge babbled on to Sean.

Sean shrugged absentmindedly and Nudge frowned.

Not for the first time that night, Gazzy wondered what was wrong. Hayley's foot touched his accidentally and he could feel her blush. Not for the first time either.

He rubbed his eyes and shoved another forkful of pasta into his mouth. He felt a crunch as he bit into a whole peppercorn. Dropping his fork into his bowl, eyes watering, he gulped down the last of his water.

Gazzy clenched his fists and went through all the swear words he knew in his head. Tonight was turning out just _peachy_.

"Zephyr, are you okay?" Hayley asked, her eyes filled with concern.

Gazzy resented her. It wasn't fair, and he knew it, but he resented her. There was a billion other guys better than him in the world, why did she have to develop a crush on _Gazzy_ of all people?

"I'm fine," He said through gritted teeth, "Everything is just _fine_."

Hayley looked at him uncertainly.

"What's wrong with you tonight?" Nudge asked Sean exasperatedly, "You're acting so _weird_."

Sean stood up abruptly, his chair scraping across the ground so loudly almost everyone in the restaurant looked up. There was silence.

"Excuse me for a moment," He said quietly, before making his way towards the men's room.

"What's up with him?" Gazzy asked.

"Dunno," Nudge said (the shortest statement she had made all night), looking worried.

"There's something up with you, too," Hayley frowned, "You look really… uncomfortable."

Gazzy couldn't keep it in anymore.

"That's because I _am_ uncomfortable!" Gazzy exploded, "I hate this and I wish I never came!"

The two girl's heads snapped towards him. Nudge looked shocked and Hayley looked confused.

"What…?" She asked.

"I don't actually like you, okay! This has been the worst night of my life!" Gazzy ranted, banging his fork into his bowl. He would've gone on, but at that moment Sean burst out of the restroom and stormed over to their table.

"Okay, Monique, I'm not gonna keep it in anymore," He cried, "I'm sorry, I really am."

"What the hell?" Nudge asked incredulously.

"I don't love you Monique," Sean said, tears springing in his eyes, "I never have and I don't think I ever will."

"What?" Nudge gasped.

"I think I'm gay, Monique," Sean bit his lip and looked at the ground. "I'm so sorry."

And he turned and fled from the table.

Nudge simply sat there, in shock. Gazzy stared at her, stunned. What had just happened? Why had nobody known?

"I can't believe it,"

Hayley's voice tore Gazzy from his thoughts. He looked up at her. She was packing up her things, and tears were running down her cheeks.

"I can't believe _you_, Zephyr. I thought you were so nice." Hayley sobbed, "I can't believe you just went and _pretended_ you liked me."

"Hayley—" Gazzy tried.

"And just so you know," Hayley cut him off, "This was the worst night of _my_ life, too."

And with that, she stormed off out the restaurant door, a whirlwind of rage and hurt and tears.

Gazzy felt awful. He turned to Nudge slowly, who was still sitting there bewildered. Her bottom lip began to quiver. "Gazzy?"

Gazzy wrapped his arms around her as she sobbed into his shoulder. His head was reeling, trying to make sense of everything that had just happened. He felt tired and sick and guilty and upset and he just wanted to go home.

Instead, he said, "Do you wanna go get doughnuts?"

Nudge nodded, wiping her eyes.

…..

Soon, Gazzy and Nudge sat perched at the top of a pine tree, a box of doughnuts between them.

"The ultimate comfort food," Gazzy said weakly. Nudge laughed a little.

"I'm still trying to comprehend what just happened," She sighed, letting her hair out to fly in the wind. She really was beautiful, Gazzy decided as he watched her, so achingly beautiful.

"Yeah." Gazzy agreed.

"I mean… I didn't know about Sean. I wouldn't have guessed. I thought we were fine until tonight. I'm okay with the fact he's gay but… I thought we could've been something. More than what we were, I mean." Nudge rubbed her eyes.

"Well, maybe Mr Right is just waiting for you," Gazzy looked at her carefully, at her soft skin, her freshly washed hair, her smudged makeup. "Maybe he's right under your nose."

"Yeah," Nudge said. "I'll find him. One day."

Gazzy's heart sank.

Nudge looked at him and smiled, but she didn't see him. Not really.

…..

A/N: Did I surprise you in this chapter? It was pretty chaotic, I thought. And it escalated quite quickly.

**Kudos to anyone who can guess what sort of necklace Hayley was wearing. :) Additionally, Hayley's character was based on me (only personality wise though, she's a lot prettier than I am).**

**Hope you enjoyed and please review! :D**


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